Protective footwear

ABSTRACT

A protective footwear incorporating a special ballistic grade pliable protector designed to protect the vulnerable arch area of the foot from multi-directional punctures. As an integral part of the boot, the protector provides protection from different sharp objects having multiple angles of incident. The protector is made of multiple layers of woven ballistic fabric and is adapted to trap the sharp point of the protruding object in its fabric webbing preventing it from being redirected to a more vulnerable and exposed area of the foot.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/557,684 filed on Mar. 31, 2004

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to protective footwear and, more particularly, to protection against puncture injuries.

2. Description of the Prior Art

All materials used in the manufacture of protective footwear for firefighters must satisfy minimum performance requirements for flame, heat, tear cut and puncture resistance as prescribed by The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA).

Traditionally, rubber or synthetic rubber has dominated firefighter footwear boots in the style commonly referred to as “bunker style”. More and more firefighters and other emergency responders are opting for leather (or synthetic fabric) boots. They offer enhanced comfort, breathability, flexibility and protection. Moreover, they can incorporate more features designed enhance the key performance factors described above.

Over the past five years, protective leather (or synthetic fabric) footwear has become more and more popular for firefighters offering them many benefits above traditional rubber footwear. Amongst the most important is enhanced comfort by fit and lightness. Leather (or synthetic fabric) allows for a custom fit and tougher mechanical protection. Additionally, leather (or combined leather and synthetic fabric) allows firefighter (or other emergency responder) boot to be lighter than its rubber equivalent. Lighter weight footwear has important consequences for increasing work efficiency and duration, and reducing stress related injury. A study done by Study by R. G. Soule & R. F. Goldman, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 27, No. 5, November 1969) reported that each additional kilogram of load carried on the feet increased the expected energy costs to the human subject by a factor of 4 compared to the no load energy cost.

Firefighters and emergency responders wear boots to protect their feet against heat, cold, cut water and puncture wounds and sprains. Their activities are not limited to walking, but running or crawling in all types of debris—often on un-level or unstable flooring. Puncture protection therefore offers real safety benefits.

The human foot is a complex anatomical structure. It consists of 26 bones working synergistically to support and propel the human body. During strenuous activity it can withstand forces of up to 250% of normal body weight. Firefighter and other emergency responders such as police, medical and USAR personnel often perform at elevated activity levels, whether walking in burned out structural debris or extricating a human life from an entangle accident scene, to more recent rescues from otherwise complex situations.

The area most vulnerable to puncture is obviously the entire bottom sole area. This has long been recognized in general safety footwear. Almost all manufacturers have adopted the metallic puncture resistant plate that covers the entire sole area of the foot. This plate works in conjunction with the rubber sole of the shoe. If a wearer steps on a sharp protruding object, it will penetrate the composite sole material and be blocked by the metallic plate. Theoretically, there is no danger of redirection of the sharp object, as it remains embedded in the narrow channel it created as it pierced the rubber sole.

Other areas of vulnerability include the toes and the top of the foot. These areas are most susceptible to crushing injury from heavy objects falling. The use of the steel (or composite) toecap has done much to address this danger.

An area not yet recognized by many manufacturers is the vulnerable arch area, i.e. the inside portion of the instep. For the most part this area remains unprotected from vertical protrusions as well as multi-directional protrusions.

Current patents with regards to arch inserts address athletic footwear. All those investigated use composite materials for their flexibility and lightness.

U.S. Pat No. 5,918,338 teaches using a woven composite material in sport footwear. It is designed to enhance the overall performance of athletic shoes by returning energy to the user's foot on being lifted after contact with the ground.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,866 is directed to woven and non-woven arch support material(s) designed to improve the overall performance in athletic shoes in terms of weight, comfort and support.

U.S. Pat. No. 5.546,680 teaches providing protective inserts in environments where sharp objects can puncture the footwear product. This patent is entirely specific to rubber footwear for firefighters. It recognizes the lack of protection to the inside portion of the human instep and claims a more complete protection by providing rubber footwear product with a rigid protective insert that protects the sole of the wearer's foot and also the inside or arched portion of the wearer's instep. The invention is specific to rigid steel and also mentions other rigid composite materials such as: rigid plastic fiberglass or graphite. It does not, however, address the problem of a penetrating object being deflected and causing injury to other areas of the foot.

The use of rigid inserts in the instep region poses possibility for further risks to the wearer. When an object enters the vulnerable arch area and is met by a rigid material, such as steel, it is blocked and depending on the angle of entry and the force of the wearer the sharp object may actually be redirected to a more vulnerable unprotected area, as shown in FIG. 1. Rigid materials, such as steel or plastic are not designed to entrap the sharp protrusion, they are designed to block and prevent penetration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a protective insert which is adapted to entrap sharp objects instead of blocking and deflecting them.

According to a general aspect of the present invention, the above issues are addressed by providing complete arch protection in a manner that does not impede the flexibility of the boot. Additionally, the method of blocking the protrusion ensures that it is not redirected to a more vulnerable area.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided protective footwear comprising an arch protector having multiple layers of woven ballistic material, each layer including interlaced warp and weft yarns, with the warp and weft yarns of each of said layers having an orientation different from that of the neighboring layers. According to the present invention, there is no need to make use of any epoxies or resins as hardeners, which although tough, would increase footwear rigidity and decrease comfort.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, multiple layers of woven ballistic fabric, with the warp and weft yarns of each layer having an orientation different from that of its neighboring layer provides contoured protection that is flexible and moves with the foot of the wearer. This constitutes an important consideration in leather (or synthetic fabric) boots worn by firefighter and other emergency responders. These boots are designed for maximum comfort and mobility.

In accordance with a further general aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protective footwear comprising a sole and an upper for receiving a wearer's foot, and a flexible protector of woven ballistic yarns integrated to said upper to entangle and trap penetrating objects.

In accordance with a further general aspect of the invention, there is provided a footwear comprising a body for receiving a wearer's foot, and a flexible puncture protective arch insert integrated to said body at an instep portion thereof, said flexible puncture protective arch insert comprising multiple overlying layers of woven ballistic fabric, each layer having interlaced warp and weft yarns, the warp and weft yams of at least a plurality of said layers having an orientation different from that of neighboring layers, said multiple overlying layers providing protection by entrapping encountered puncturing objects, thereby preventing redirection to unprotected areas of the wearer's foot.

In accordance with a still further general aspect of the invention, there is provided a protective footwear comprising a body for receiving a wearer's foot, said body having inner and outer flexible layers, and a lateral puncturing protector mounted between said inner and outer flexible layers in the arch area of the wearer's foot, the lateral puncturing protector including a fiber material woven in multi-directional layers, the fiber material defining a plurality of catching interstices in which a sharp edge of a sharp object is captively received when pushed under pressure against said lateral puncturing protector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating how a conventional rigid puncture resistant plate can block and redirect a sharp object to another unprotected area of a wearer's foot;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a protective footwear incorporating an arch protector made of multiple layers of woven ballistic fabric in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective footwear illustrating the flexibility of the arch protector;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the protective footwear illustrating how a nail is entangled and trapped into the arch protector, and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the multi-layer construction of the protective layer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As will be seen hereinafter, the present invention is generally directed to a footwear protective insert adapted to trap the sharp objects, such as nails, to prevent them from being redirected to more vulnerable area of the wearer's foot. The present invention is particularly applicable to all styles of leather (or synthetic fabric) safety boots worn by firefighters and other emergency responders. The protective insert can advantageously be used as an arch protector to protect the wearer from multi-directional punctures to the arch area of the foot. However, it is understood that the present invention could have other applications.

More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention generally relates to the adaptation of a special ballistic grade pliable protector, designed to protect the vulnerable arch area of the foot from multi-directional punctures, incorporated into leather (or synthetic fabric) boots worn by firefighters and other emergency responders. Because of its unique material application, it offers protection based on the principles of ballistic protection, where the piercing object is entangled and never redirected.

Now referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, there is shown a protective footwear 10 (a leather or synthetic fabric firefighter boot in the illustrated example) comprising a flexible arch protector 12. The arch protector 12 covers the entire arch area of the wearer's foot. The arch protector 12 is preferably provided in the form of an insert placed between inner and outer flexible layers 14 and 16 forming part of the upper of the leather boot. The protector 12 extends upwardly from the sole 18 of the footwear 10.

The arch protector 12 is made of multiple flexible overlying layers of woven ballistic material. The protector 12 preferably incorporates ballistic grade nylon, Kevlar® or other puncture resistant fiber materials. As shown in FIG. 5, each layer 20 a, 20 b, 20 c . . . includes a matrix of interlaced warp and weft yarns 22 and 24. The warp and weft yarns 22 and 24 of adjacent or neighboring layers 20 a, 20 b and 20 c extend in different directions. This arrangement provides a flexible puncture resistant insert which is adapted to trap the sharp object in its webbing instead of redirecting it, as the prior art inserts do.

The arch protector 12 provides puncturing protection without affecting flexibility of the boot (see FIG. 3). The arch protector 12 is flexible by itself and is installed between two flexible layers 14 and 16 of material. This composite construction provides contoured protection that is flexible in that the flexibility of the inner and the outer layers 14 and 16 is preserved when assembled to protector 12. The protector 12 is allowed to move and flex with foot of the wearer (see FIG. 3), thereby providing maximum comfort and mobility.

When a sharp object (for instance the nail N shown in FIG. 4) is encountered, the arch protector 12 will deform under the pressure applied by the object to trap the sharp edge thereof within its webbing, thereby preventing redirection of the sharp object to another unprotected area. The flexibility of the backing, i.e. the inner layer 14, of the arch protector 12 permits the deformation thereof

In view of the foregoing, it can be readily appreciated that the present invention provides an additional, more complete and comfortable protective insert to the entire bottom of a footwear and prevents lateral multi-directional protrusions from coming into the vulnerable arch area, i.e. the inside portion of the foot that extends laterally from the composite heal four inches towards the front of the foot in an arch form. 

1. A footwear comprising a body for receiving a wearer's foot, and a flexible puncture protective arch insert integrated to said body at an instep portion thereof, said flexible puncture protective arch insert comprising multiple overlying layers of woven ballistic fabric, each layer having interlaced warp and weft yarns, the warp and weft yarns of at least a plurality of said layers having an orientation different from that of neighboring layers, said multiple overlying layers providing protection by entrapping encountered puncturing objects, thereby preventing redirection to unprotected areas of the wearer's foot.
 2. A footwear as defined in claim 1, wherein said flexible puncture protective arch insert has a flexible backing, the protective arch insert together with the flexible backing being deformable under pressure exerted thereon by the encountered puncturing objects.
 3. A footwear as defined in claim 1, wherein said body includes inner and outer layers of flexible material, and wherein said flexible puncture protective arch insert is captively received between said inner and outer layers of flexible material.
 4. A footwear comprising a sole and an upper extending from the sole for receiving a wearer's foot, a flexible protector of woven ballistic yams integrated to said upper, the flexible protector being deformable together with said body under pressure exerted by an encountered penetrating objects in a trapping configuration in which the encountered penetrating objects are captured by the woven ballistic yarns to prevent redirection of the penetrating objects to a more vulnerable area of the wearer's foot.
 5. A protective footwear as defined in claim 4, wherein said ballistic yams are woven in multi-directional layers.
 6. A protective footwear as defined in claim 5, wherein said flexible protector is a lateral protective insert extending over the arch area of the footwear to provide arch protection while preserving flexibility of the footwear.
 7. A protective footwear as defined in claim 4, wherein said upper is of composite construction and includes inner and outer layers of material, the flexible protector being installed between said inner and outer layers and being movable therewith.
 8. A protective footwear comprising a body for receiving a wearer's foot, said body having inner and outer flexible layers, and a lateral puncturing protector mounted between said inner and outer flexible layers in the arch area of the wearer's foot, the lateral puncturing protector including a fiber material woven in multi-directional layers, the fiber material defining a plurality of catching interstices in which a sharp edge of a sharp object is captively received when pushed under pressure against said lateral puncturing protector.
 9. A protective footwear as defined in claim 8, wherein said fiber material is at least partly made of a ballistic material. 